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NSF 26-522: MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs (MPS Astro)

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Program Solicitation NSF 26-522

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U.S. National Science Foundation

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Full Proposal Target Date(s):

November 16, 2026

Third Monday in November, Annually Thereafter

Proposals are accepted at any time. However, proposals received after the target submission date may be reviewed in the following fiscal year.

Important Information and Revision Notes

  • This funding opportunity consolidates most astronomical sciences funding opportunities within the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
  • Additional information and specific program guidance can be found on each program's webpage.

Proposals must be prepared in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Use the version of the guide that is in effect on the proposal's due date.

Summary of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs (MPS Astro)

Synopsis of Program:

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) supports multiple research programs in the astronomical sciences. NSF MPS funds foundational astronomical sciences research and instrumentation focused on exploring space and advancing fundamental understanding of the universe.

The programs covered by this funding opportunity are:

Research supported by these programs is essential for ongoing discovery in a range of fields. The programs provide a strong scientific foundation for America's capabilities in multiple areas: predicting solar storms, discovering potentially habitable planets in other solar systems, understanding the physical workings of extreme astrophysical objects like black holes, and more.

NSF MPS is particularly interested in intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative foundational research. Proposals need not promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome, nor need they address later-stage development to be competitive.

NSF Priorities

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) supports foundational research that leads to scientific breakthroughs and opens new frontiers of human knowledge. NSF investments in scientific discovery underpin technological innovation across industries, strengthening U.S. economic competitiveness, enhancing national security, and improving quality of life for all Americans.

NSF's priority under this funding opportunity is to advance foundational research, spanning both incremental advances that build systematically on prior scholarship and bold, high-risk inquiries capable of reshaping entire fields. NSF places particular emphasis on projects that challenge prevailing paradigms, ask important questions, develop new theories or methods, create research tools or datasets that enable further research, or open new lines of inquiry. Proposals need not promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome, nor must they address later-stage development in a named technology priority to be competitive. NSF further recognizes that the most consequential discoveries increasingly emerge at the boundary between disciplines, and it therefore strongly encourages proposals that forge novel connections across scientific domains.

Within this mandate, NSF is especially interested in intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative research; work that creates opportunities for exceptional early-career investigators; and proposals that leverage emerging technologies, including AI, advanced computation, and automation, to make new modes, methods, or scales of science possible. The use of these tools should be scientifically justified rather than incidental. Beyond accelerating existing workflows, such tools open fundamentally new scientific questions, reveal patterns invisible to prior methods, and enable experimental and analytical capabilities.

To support this vision, NSF seeks proposals spanning a wide range of funding levels and project durations. NSF is working to expand opportunities at both ends of this spectrum, including rapid grants that allow researchers to quickly test exploratory ideas and longer, larger awards that provide sustained support for ambitious, transformative research. For preliminary or time-sensitive work, NSF encourages investigators to use mechanisms such as Planning Proposal, RAPID, EAGER, and RAISE (see Chapter II.F of the PAPPG for more information). Where longer awards would benefit the pursuit of ambitious, transformative research and reduce administrative burden on investigators, NSF encourages proposals requesting up to five years of support. Investigators may consider the options above, and others, outside of the project sizes and durations specified in this funding opportunity.

NSF welcomes submissions from all researchers, particularly those earlier in their careers and those working in the foundational research areas highlighted in the Administration's FY28 Research and Development Budget Priorities Memorandum. NSF also expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, transparency, reproducibility, research integrity, and adherence to tenets of Gold Standard Science in proposals, as appropriate for the field of science and research modality.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

  • 47.049 - Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 140

Astronomical Sciences Core Research: 130

Astronomical Sciences Technology & Instrumentation: 10

Astronomical Sciences Innovations: 1-3

Anticipated Funding Amount: $100,000,000

Anticipated funding amounts and number of awards are subject to the availability of funds.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

  • Letters of Intent: Not required
  • Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required

  • Full Proposals:

B. Budgetary Information

  • Cost Sharing Requirements:

    Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

  • Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:

    Not Applicable

  • Other Budgetary Limitations:

    Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

  • Full Proposal Target Date(s):

    November 16, 2026

    Third Monday in November, Annually Thereafter

    Proposals are accepted at any time. However, proposals received after the target submission date may be reviewed in the following fiscal year.

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:

National Science Board approved criteria apply.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:

Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:

Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) is the primary federal funder of America's ground-based exploration of space through astronomical sciences. This support enables discovery and understanding of objects and phenomena within our solar system, the Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies, and the entire universe.

NSF support for foundational, early-stage research in the astronomical sciences has resulted in transformative outcomes for the American people. NSF-supported researchers developed adaptive optics to remove the atmospheric blur that distorts images of distant stars and galaxies; researchers later realized the same technique could correct distortions inside the human eye. Technology developed originally to see deeper into space now lets doctors observe individual cells in the eye, improving the diagnosis of diseases that can cause blindness. Separately, NSF-supported researchers working on radio astronomy developed low-noise receivers, electronics sensitive enough to detect extremely faint signals from distant objects, which later enabled modern satellite communications and helped to better connect people around the world.

NSF MPS astronomical sciences programs support multiple types of activities, including the following:

  • Individual investigators and collaborative foundational research projects
  • Observational, theoretical, laboratory and archival data studies
  • Development of new technologies and instrumentation
  • Design, development, construction and/or operations of new facilities and other larger-scale activities

Proposals must describe the merit of the proposed work within the context of foundational advances in astronomical sciences, or they will be returned without review.

II. Program Description

This funding opportunity invites proposal submissions to the following NSF MPS astronomical sciences programs.

Additional information and specific program guidance can be found on each program's webpage.

Astronomical Sciences Core Research

Supports individual investigators and collaborative research groups. Includes observational, theoretical, laboratory and archival data studies in astronomy and astrophysics. Broad topic areas include, but are not limited to:

  • Cosmology
  • Extragalactic astronomy
  • Galactic astronomy
  • Stellar astronomy
  • Exoplanet studies
  • Solar and solar system astronomy
  • Time-domain astrophysics
  • Laboratory astrophysics
  • Statistical and computational methods for astronomy

Proposals spanning multiple areas or disciplines, utilizing multiple techniques, or developing tools and methods for enabling or enhancing astronomical research are accepted.

Astronomical Sciences Technology & Instrumentation

Supports the development of advanced technologies and instrumentation for use in ground-based astronomy and astrophysics. Supported categories of instrumentation include, but are not limited to:

  • Advanced technology development
  • Concept feasibility studies
  • Instrumentation or software that enables new observations that are difficult or impossible to obtain with existing means.

Proposed projects can be exploratory and high risk. NSF will not prioritize proposals for routine upgrades to existing instruments and facilities.

Proposed projects should provide access to enhanced capabilities to the broad U.S. astronomical sciences community. Proposed technology and instrumentation for private observatories must describe the specific benefits to the entire U.S. astronomical sciences community.

Astronomical Sciences Innovations

Supports a small number of larger astronomical sciences activities and projects in four categories:

  1. Science projects: Self-contained, limited-term projects with well-defined construction and scientific discovery phases.
  2. Facilities: Construction or operation of a stand-alone, long-term facility or center with a budget comparable to an NSF Mid-scale Research Infrastructure 1 project.
  3. Development investments: Design and development of a research infrastructure project that could lead to a successful proposal to the NSF Mid-scale Research Infrastructure 2 program.
  4. Open-access capabilities, including:
    • New instruments for existing telescopes in return for broader access to the entire U.S. astronomical sciences community.
    • Provision of observing time for U.S. scientists on existing telescopes.
    • Data archiving, management and analysis projects that permit or increase U.S. scientists' access to data resources.

Proposals to the Astronomical Sciences Innovations program should include the following:

  • Proposals to categories 1-3 should describe how facilities, infrastructure, and other projects will support foundational transformative astronomical sciences research, including by enabling entirely new lines of inquiry in the field.
  • Proposals to category 4 should describe the uniqueness of the proposed capability relative to what is currently available to U.S. scientists.
  • Proposals may include a plan for student training and STEM workforce development in using or developing advanced instrumentation for astronomical facilities and/or using or developing data management and advanced analysis techniques.
  • Relevance to strategic goals and roadmaps identified by the broad U.S. astronomical sciences community.
  • Plans for project management, operations and data archiving.
  • An outline of a project execution plan submitted as a supplementary document. This is mandatory for categories 2 and 3. It is optional for categories 1 and 4.

PIs may be requested to submit additional documents, such as a full project execution plan. Guidelines for project execution plans are provided in the NSF Research Infrastructure Guide.

Proposed budgets may include contingency when appropriate. The number of awards NSF may make across categories will depend on proposals received, availability of funds and programmatic considerations.

Some proposals may be held for possible funding in a future fiscal year. Proposers are strongly encouraged to contact an NSF program officer before submission.

Measures of success

All proposals should advance one or more of the following measures of success:

  • Publications from research or other scholarly output
  • Data sets established or expanded
  • New technologies or techniques established
  • Undergraduate and graduate students trained in a specific critical area
  • New infrastructure built
  • Research facility usage

Proposals must demonstrate how the measures of success will be achieved and evaluated. Progress on measures of success must be reported in each annual report.

Overlap with NASA data or resources

NSF strives to allocate federal funding to maximize scientific discovery in coordination with other funding agencies. Proposals which predominantly use NASA data or resources should be submitted to NASA.

Proposals that include extensive efforts to model or analyze data from NASA missions or archives must include a labeled section in the project description explaining why NASA data are required to advance the scientific goals of the proposal.

Proposals to the Astronomical Sciences Technology & Instrumentation program must significantly advance and improve ground-based astronomy observations and should have a secondary relevance to space-based projects. Contact a cognizant NSF program officer with any questions.

Accomplishment-based renewal proposals

NSF will not accept proposals for accomplishment-based renewals via this funding opportunity. NSF will return such proposals without review. Proposals for traditional renewals may be submitted and will compete with new proposals with no competitive advantage.

See the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide for more information on traditional and accomplishment-based renewals.

Additional funding opportunities

Proposals to the following programs are welcome through this funding opportunity:

Proposals submitted to MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs through other funding opportunities must also meet the guidelines described in this funding opportunity.

Supplemental funding

The following types of supplemental funding can be requested as either a component of a new (or renewal) proposal or as a supplemental funding request to an existing award:

Information Sharing with NASA

NSF has a memorandum of understanding with NASA. Under that memorandum, NSF may share information from proposals with NASA for consideration of joint funding. NSF may invite NASA employees to attend merit review panels as observers.

III. Award Information

Estimated program budget and number of awards are subject to the availability of funds.

IV. Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter I.E. Unaffiliated individuals are not eligible to submit proposals in response to this solicitation.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals Per PI or Co-PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

You must prepare your proposal according to Chapter II.D.2 of the PAPPG, unless this solicitation specifies different instructions. Always use the version of the PAPPG in effect on your proposal's due date.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via Research.gov. PAPPG Chapter II.E.3 provides additional information on collaborative proposals.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

C. Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements

You can submit proposals in response to this solicitation through Research.gov or Grants.gov, unless otherwise noted.

Information on how to prepare and submit proposals is available on the Submitting Your Proposal page on NSF.gov.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures

Information on NSF's proposal processing and review procedures is available on the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page on NSF.gov.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board-approved merit review criteria:

  • Intellectual Merit, which encompasses the potential to advance knowledge.
  • Broader Impacts, which encompass the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

Information on NSF's merit review principles and process can be found on the How We Make Funding Decisions page on NSF.gov.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by

Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

After a proposal passes an initial compliance check, it will be reviewed by an NSF Program Officer. In most cases, three or more external experts will also review it (either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists or both).

Visit the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page for more information on the proposal review and selection process.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), all else being equal after merit review, NSF may give preference to institutions with lower indirect cost rates.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of an award is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer.

B. Award Conditions

Information on NSF award conditions can be found on the Award Terms and Conditions page on NSF.gov and Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements:

Information on administrative and national policy requirements can be found on the National Policy Requirements for Recipients of NSF Awards page on NSF.gov.

Consistent with the requirements specified in 2 CFR § 200.332, recipients of NSF awards must adhere to the requirements for pass-through entities in establishing and managing subawards issued ensuring alignment with Administration and NSF policies and priorities.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), proposers should be aware that NSF awards offered under this funding opportunity may include termination for convenience provisions.

C. Reporting Requirements

Unless your award notice says otherwise, NSF requires the principal investigator of every grant to submit annual project reports and a project outcomes report for the general public. For complete reporting requirements, see Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

VIII. Agency Contacts

For questions related to the use of NSF systems contact:

  • Research.gov: NSF IT Service Desk at rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532. The Service Desk is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday (except for federal holidays).

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

  • Grants.gov: The Grants.gov Contact Center at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. (Contact if the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submitting an application.)

IX. Other Information

For information on NSF directorates, programs and funding opportunities, go to NSF.gov.

About the National Science Foundation

The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency created by the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950." More information about NSF can be found on NSF.gov.

  • Location:

Randolph Building, 401 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

  • General Information

(703) 292-5111

  • TDD (for the hearing-impaired):

(703) 292-5090

Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950," as amended. More information can be found on the Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements page on NSF.gov.

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